The encomiums earned by police personnel in the last 2-3 months has given rise to hopes in the public that this pattern of behaviour will be sustained and to the expectation among police officers - past and present - that this episode will lead to the elusive 'police reforms'.
From what I read, and from what I hear in TV debates, it seems to me that most police officers pin their hopes on SC-ordained police reforms. Though I am sceptical about the efficacy of these reforms, I wish these hopes are fulfilled. There is another group of officers who think that reforms must be research-led. I don't know how they will get reliable data for their research and how they will make allowances for the tendency of the people to give answers which they think the surveyor is looking for (during surveys), but I wish this groups every success. There is a third, miniscule group ( to which I also belong) which thinks that this is the time when police leadership can re-invent itself and initiate changes that can be sustained, give substantial relief to the public, and pave the way for more reforms which would give India the kind of police it really needs.
My reading is that the public adulation has touched every police heart, including those who ordinarily don't care much for what the public thinks about them, and police leadership must build upon this and give continuous impetus to it . Traditionally, the interactions between superiors and subordinates in police have been intermittent and stunted. It is now time to change it to a continuous and friendly process. But before that superiors must change their mind-set and accept subordinates as partners in providing public-service because a beat-constable's contribution is as important for achieving the higher objectives of public-service as a SHO's or a SP's. To translate this idea into practice, all officers, specially the SsP and SHOs, must spend much more time in the field and maintain continuous contacts with others out there so that they are fully aware of the challenges faced by the ground staff - be it lack of material resources or hostility of sections of public or pressure of work. The higher officers must contribute to this process by optimising the allocation of resources and reducing paper-work which keeps these officers desk-bound for much of the time. Further, as a corollary, senior officers should connsider organisational restructuring to ensure that constable upwards, all subordinates are given more responsibilities, commensurate with their abilities, and opportunity to acquire higher skills in the field of their choice ( like investigation, cybernetics, intelligence or community relations), and the chance to develop leadership skills and compete for leadership positions.
The officers must realise that in order to retain public respect when normalcy returns, they must strictly check the mal-practices of suppressionof evidence/ fabrication of evidence, in order to shield a guilty person / implicate an innocent persons, which have commonly marred police work, through close supervision of investigations. It would help them in this task if they are able to make videography of interrogations and searches mandatory and get CCTV installed at all PSs which would record all entries/exits from the PS.
The officers must recognise that whatever be the popular legend, police alone are not responsible for prevention and detection of crime: it is the Criminal Justice System - of which police are a sub-system - which is meant to ensure safety of life and property and dignity of all citizens. Therefore, they must not condone torture of suspects as the investigative technique of choice: it only breeds corruption and often results in mis-directing investigations.
I don't think there is anyone who believes that in a democracy, police can do without cordial cooperation of the public nor that such cooperation can be won without paying heed to what the public has to say about police actions ( or, inaction). This means that :
when officers are out in the field, they must interact with as many members of the public as possible and establish rapport with the influencers; and
they must make effective enquiries into complaints that they receive.
I have written several times about enquiries and I do not wish to repeat any of it here. I must state, though, that I think that effective enquiries into complaints ( followed by ruthless culling of the rogues found guilty of serious mis-conduct or suspicious conduct ) is the key to a more acceptable and respected police. It certainly involves a career-risk ( when action is taken against the favourite of some powerful person ) but if the bright young police officers are not willing to accept this risk, then I fear police will soon return to a state of infamy.
Bhopal; PDMalaviya
20th June,2020
Critical comments are welcome. Comments can be posted directly, there is no monitoring.
From what I read, and from what I hear in TV debates, it seems to me that most police officers pin their hopes on SC-ordained police reforms. Though I am sceptical about the efficacy of these reforms, I wish these hopes are fulfilled. There is another group of officers who think that reforms must be research-led. I don't know how they will get reliable data for their research and how they will make allowances for the tendency of the people to give answers which they think the surveyor is looking for (during surveys), but I wish this groups every success. There is a third, miniscule group ( to which I also belong) which thinks that this is the time when police leadership can re-invent itself and initiate changes that can be sustained, give substantial relief to the public, and pave the way for more reforms which would give India the kind of police it really needs.
My reading is that the public adulation has touched every police heart, including those who ordinarily don't care much for what the public thinks about them, and police leadership must build upon this and give continuous impetus to it . Traditionally, the interactions between superiors and subordinates in police have been intermittent and stunted. It is now time to change it to a continuous and friendly process. But before that superiors must change their mind-set and accept subordinates as partners in providing public-service because a beat-constable's contribution is as important for achieving the higher objectives of public-service as a SHO's or a SP's. To translate this idea into practice, all officers, specially the SsP and SHOs, must spend much more time in the field and maintain continuous contacts with others out there so that they are fully aware of the challenges faced by the ground staff - be it lack of material resources or hostility of sections of public or pressure of work. The higher officers must contribute to this process by optimising the allocation of resources and reducing paper-work which keeps these officers desk-bound for much of the time. Further, as a corollary, senior officers should connsider organisational restructuring to ensure that constable upwards, all subordinates are given more responsibilities, commensurate with their abilities, and opportunity to acquire higher skills in the field of their choice ( like investigation, cybernetics, intelligence or community relations), and the chance to develop leadership skills and compete for leadership positions.
The officers must realise that in order to retain public respect when normalcy returns, they must strictly check the mal-practices of suppressionof evidence/ fabrication of evidence, in order to shield a guilty person / implicate an innocent persons, which have commonly marred police work, through close supervision of investigations. It would help them in this task if they are able to make videography of interrogations and searches mandatory and get CCTV installed at all PSs which would record all entries/exits from the PS.
The officers must recognise that whatever be the popular legend, police alone are not responsible for prevention and detection of crime: it is the Criminal Justice System - of which police are a sub-system - which is meant to ensure safety of life and property and dignity of all citizens. Therefore, they must not condone torture of suspects as the investigative technique of choice: it only breeds corruption and often results in mis-directing investigations.
I don't think there is anyone who believes that in a democracy, police can do without cordial cooperation of the public nor that such cooperation can be won without paying heed to what the public has to say about police actions ( or, inaction). This means that :
when officers are out in the field, they must interact with as many members of the public as possible and establish rapport with the influencers; and
they must make effective enquiries into complaints that they receive.
I have written several times about enquiries and I do not wish to repeat any of it here. I must state, though, that I think that effective enquiries into complaints ( followed by ruthless culling of the rogues found guilty of serious mis-conduct or suspicious conduct ) is the key to a more acceptable and respected police. It certainly involves a career-risk ( when action is taken against the favourite of some powerful person ) but if the bright young police officers are not willing to accept this risk, then I fear police will soon return to a state of infamy.
Bhopal; PDMalaviya
20th June,2020
Critical comments are welcome. Comments can be posted directly, there is no monitoring.
